This invention relates to a phonograph stylus, and more particularly, to a stylus protection mechanism for protecting the stylus and phonograph records against damage during lateral deflection of the stylus.
In the phonograph record player art, it has long been known that a major cause of damage to stylii and flat disc records is human operator error in the placement and removal of the stylii to and from the records. Through inattention, imprecision and excessive force, human operators err by striking stylii against record edges and grating stylii tips across recording surfaces. The consequent lateral deflections deform stylii shanks, break stylii tips and gouge recording surfaces. Stylii are often replaceable only at great expense, while records may be irreplacable. The knowledge of this cause of damage has spawned a variety of cueing devices which automatically and semi-automatically raise and lower stylii to and from the records. While these devices have proven highly useful, only the most sophisticated permit human operators to accurately select individual recordings from long-playing records. Also, most individuals have a propensity to disregard cueing devices and attempt to place or remove stylii manually. Thus, a dissatisfaction, and a need for a stylus protection mechanism that is automatically operable during manual cueing, have long existed.